Chapter 426: Family Matters

Chapter 426: Family Matters

"Second Sister."

Uh... Suddenly remembering something, he corrected himself, "Sister."

Zheng Jinyu revealed a smile, "You've grown so tall, I almost didn't recognize you."

These three years were the period when boys grow rapidly. Originally about the same height as her, he was now taller.

But Zheng Jinyu herself had also grown taller in these three years.

Apart from growing taller, he had also become much darker, and his young face looked rough. He had gained a rugged appearance.

Zheng Hongxing shyly scratched his head, not as talkative as he used to be, only smiling foolishly at her.

This was the only person in the Zheng family who had never harbored any hostility towards Zheng Jinyu.

She remembered how Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu, those two fools, had constantly caused trouble for her, but Zheng Hongxing, still a young boy back then, had stood up several times to help her out of difficult situations.

He was a concubine-born son, his mother being Lady Zheng's maid. For him to boldly stand up for Zheng Jinyu was truly remarkable.

She held grudges, but she also remembered kindness. She never withheld her goodwill towards those who treated her well.

At this moment, Zheng Jinyu's eyes were only on Zheng Hongxing. She took him aside to chat, asking about his well-being and inquiring about his life over the past three years.

Xie Peiyu, left behind, wore a face full of resentment.

Cui Yongnian opened his folding fan and fanned himself lightly, "Why is Cousin so familiar with Little Cousin?"

Xie Peiyu remained silent.

Cui Yongnian continued, "I thought they didn't even know each other."

Xie Peiyu finally spoke, "Jinyu returned before he went to the Northern Army. They must have spent a few days together."

"Really? Just a few days and they're this close? Look how concerned Cousin is about him. How did that kid manage it?"

Xie Peiyu could guess why.

Back then, when Jinyu had just returned, she was the least favored in the Zheng family.

Someone showing genuine kindness to her would naturally leave an impression.

Zheng Hongxing was originally quite shy; most boys his age were like that.

However, under Zheng Jinyu's guidance, he gradually opened up.

"I initially planned to join the Northern Army to rely on Fourth Brother, but he left soon after, leaving me alone there. I really suffered."

"Why didn't you go with him?"

"I wanted to, but I was just a small soldier. Who would listen to me?" As he said this, he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly reached into his chest pocket.

Zheng Jinyu watched him fumble around, his rough face from the northern winds adding to the comedic effect.

"What are you looking for?"

He wondered, "Where did it go? Wait a moment, let me look again."

With that, he turned around and undid his clothes to search.

Zheng Jinyu couldn't help but laugh, "What is it? If you can't find it, forget it."

"That won't do. It's a gift I brought for my sister. When you gave me a fan back then, I didn't return the favor."

Saying this, he muttered to himself, "Where did it go?"

"Maybe you put it somewhere else."

"Impossible, I remember... Oh no."

"What's wrong?" His sudden exclamation startled her.

Zheng Hongxing pulled out a worn pouch, "The pouch is broken; it must have fallen out."

Zheng Jinyu saw the pouch with its crooked stitches and wondered if he had sewn it himself.

"Why are you wearing such old clothes?"

"Huh? Old? They seem fine to me."

It was clear that this child had indeed suffered during his three years away.

"Check the hemline."

She noticed that the pouch was an inner pocket. If anything had fallen out, it would have landed inside the clothes, not outside.

He stood up and felt around, eventually finding something hard, a smile of joy spreading across his face.

"Found it!"

Zheng Jinyu smiled, "Good thing you found it."

He tore the hole wider, reached in, and pulled out something. Zheng Jinyu saw it was a wolf tooth.

"Sister, here, it's for you."

Zheng Jinyu looked astonished.

She remembered that Zheng Hongqiu, who had returned from the North, had also given her a wolf tooth as an apology. Why was Zheng Hongxing giving her a wolf tooth too?

Was there some significance to this?

"Why are you giving me this?"

Zheng Hongxing said, "I killed it myself. It's a wolf from the North. Am I impressive or what?"

Oh, so that's what he meant.

Zheng Jinyu played along, excitedly saying, "Wow, you killed a wolf? That must have been difficult. You're really amazing."

Zheng Hongxing looked satisfied and then modestly added, "It was just okay, not that hard to kill."

From a distance, Xie Peiyu snorted, "Just killing a wolf is nothing to brag about."

Cui Yongnian smiled faintly and said, "You're just jealous."

Xie Peiyu shot him a glare.

He shut his mouth and his smile faded.

Xie Peiyu asked him, "Have you found that person yet?"

"It's only been a few days. How could it be that fast?"

"Lu Shen has already arrived in Yu City. You need to speed things up here."

Zheng Hongxing and Zheng Jinyu chatted about the Northern grasslands and how he killed the wolf.

No matter how much he boasted, it couldn't hide the fact that he had actually killed an injured, lone wolf.

"Don't underestimate it; even though it was injured and alone, these lone wolves are the fiercest. They fight to the death for survival. I wasn't specifically out to kill a wolf that day; I had diarrhea and fell behind, ending up alone with no proper tools. The wolf wanted to eat me to survive, and I fought it bare-handed until it died. Isn't that impressive?"

Zheng Jinyu held back her laughter and nodded, "Of course it is. If I had diarrhea, my legs would be weak, but you still managed to kill a wolf. You're really amazing."

"Right? They even say I got lucky."

The two chatted for a while when they were startled by the sound of cymbals coming from next door.

This sound was familiar. Last time, during a festive occasion, Zheng Yi had angrily beaten the cymbals because he couldn't stand the quietness.

Zheng Jinyu guessed that since it was Zheng Yi's birthday, and their side was lively while the other side was quiet, someone couldn't bear the cold treatment and started beating the cymbals like Zheng Yi, making it uncomfortable for him.

Zheng Hongxing, unaware of these events, curiously asked, "What's going on? Who's beating the cymbals?"

As soon as he finished speaking, they heard Zheng Yi's angry shouts.

"Did someone die in your family? Why are you beating the cymbals?"

The other side retorted, "I'll beat the cymbals if someone dies in your family."

Everyone was stunned.

These two had long since lost all decorum; otherwise, given their status, they wouldn't speak like this.

Zheng Hongxing, experiencing this for the first time, was the most shocked. "Why are Father and Mother talking like this?"

Zheng Jinyu calmly replied, "Didn't you hear about their argument and separation?"

"I did hear about it. My mother told me as soon as I came back."

It seemed that Lady Luo had selectively shared information without explaining clearly.

"How did things get to this point?"

"How did your mother explain it?" Zheng Jinyu asked.

Zheng Hongxing said, "My mother said that Grandmother passed away the day before Elder Sister Fang Jinxiu's wedding, but Mother kept it a secret to ensure a smooth wedding, telling Father that Grandmother was merely sleeping. They argued over this, and Father ended up hating Fang Jinxiu and disowning her from the Zheng family."